


Like a Lunar Phase

by Nyxelestia



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alpha Scott McCall, Angst, Bad BDSM Etiquette, Bondage and Discipline, Bottom Theo Raeken, Discipline, Dom Scott McCall, Dom/sub, Dom/sub Undertones, Hurt Theo Raeken, Light BDSM, Light Bloodplay (Claws), Light Bondage, Light Sadism, M/M, Masochism, Non-Sexual Bondage, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Reluctant Sadist, Rope Bondage, Sub Theo Raeken, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-30
Updated: 2018-06-13
Packaged: 2019-03-11 16:43:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13528392
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nyxelestia/pseuds/Nyxelestia
Summary: Theo couldn't move his arms or his body, but he could move his head. He turned away, almost tucking his head under his arm but not quite, the action also baring most his neck. Between the streetlight from outside and the cheap lamp on Scott's bedside, the skin of Theo's neck almost glowed in the dimness of his bedroom, his jugular casting a bronze shadow over the dip of his throat and collar bone. The contrast was so enrapturing, Scott could almost reach out and grab-"Please," Theo added softly, and Scott froze for a moment as the urge passed and he wonderedwhat had just come over him.





	1. New Moon

**Author's Note:**

  * For [DemonzDust](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DemonzDust/gifts).



> For the [Teen Wolf](https://teenwolfexchange.tumblr.com/post/167993848257/demonzdust-dear-teenwolfexchange-all-i) [Holiday Exchange](https://teenwolfexchange.tumblr.com/post/168191950722/demonzdust-dear-teenwolfexchange-i-have-been)! ♥

In a dim, tiny bedroom of a plain apartment on the outskirts of Davis, Scott finished folding up his last spare blanket, and placed it right under Theo's sleeping bag on the floor. The brownish-green of the sleeping bag was almost a dark, oblong hole against the tan carpet and white wall, not to mention the brightly colored blankets it now rested upon.

Keeping his focus on the make-shift mattress composed of all the spare blankets Scott could muster, he reminded his temporary new roommate, "Since you're only here for a few weeks, this should do. Or if you look on Craigslist or YikYak, someone probably has one they're giving away-"

"Thanks," Theo cut him off with. Scott steeled himself, and turned around to look at the other boy. The thin sweatpants sunk low on Theo's hips, and the shirt that used to hug his muscles now almost hung off of him, obscuring the bandages that Scott had wrapped around Theo's midsection the night before.

Just looking at him, Scott was caught between understanding why Theo'd done whatever Peter told him to do - and why he'd done it for so little, if he was still so worn out after months of living with the man.

"How..." Scott tilted his head at Theo's midsection. "How are you?"

"Fine," Theo said, voice tight as he made his way to the sleeping bag, pressed up against the wall opposite to Scott's bed, a whole yard away. Scott was pretty sure Theo was lying, but even now, his heartbeat stayed steady.

Then again, it always was, so it's not like that meant anything.

Scott backed away as Theo approached, turning and clambering onto his bed. When both boys were under their respective covers, Scott reached over to the lamp on his bedside. With a double-click, the room plunged into darkness, save for the rectangle of light across the carpet between them from the street lamps.

"...thanks," Theo said. His heartbeat was still steady, but his voice was hoarse.

Trying not to wonder if that was because of any screaming, Scott said, "You're welcome," and turned over to face the wall.

Not that it lasted long. Scott left his phone in the other corner of the room, to force himself to get up out of bed in the morning to get to his alarm. But that meant right now, Scott had no idea how long he lasted with his back turned to Theo.

He kept track of Theo's breathing and heartbeat and movements, listening to the rustling of the old army surplus sleeping bag. Theo never got out of the sleeping bag, never made any move to approach Scott at his close-to-most vulnerable, but after a few hundred of Theo's heartbeats, Scott turned over, laying on his back.

Just enough that his back wasn't exposed to Theo, but not enough that Scott would have to fall asleep looking at him.

Even that didn't seem to be enough. In some ways, it was almost worse. His fancy foam mattress was world away from the library steps his life had nearly ended on, but he was still stuck on the memory of staring up at the ceiling with hole gaping in his chest, his heart all but ripped out by Theo.

Scott was so busy trying to keep track of Theo's heartbeat and breathing, he didn't notice his own.

So it took him by surprise when Theo sighed, and sat up. "I appreciate the help," he said. "But this isn't going to work."

Scott frowned, turning over to at least face the other boy while they were talking. On the other side of the rectangle of light, Theo was little more than a silhouette.

"What do you mean?"

The silhouette tilted his head incredulously. "Smell yourself, Scott, listen to your own breath and heartbeat." The boy laughed, a sound like shattering glass as he started to climb out of his sleeping bag. "Weakest I've ever been in my life and the True Alpha is still afraid of me."

"What-" Scott pushed himself up, reaching for the bedside lamp again. When the dim light illuminated the room - said room was small enough that one lamp was all it took - Scott looked at Theo, who was standing by the mess of blankets. "I'm not afraid of you. And being a True Alpha doesn't have anything to do with-" Scott waved his hand. " _Anything._ "

Theo rolled his eyes. "Two years and you're still a terrible liar."

Scott scowled. "I'm not lying. I beat you even when you were at your strongest - and you're not, right now." He jerked his chin towards Theo's midsection, that Scott had bandaged himself just a few hours ago back in Beacon Hills, before they'd come down to Davis at the end of Scott's winter break. "I'd know."

"And yet," Theo said, crossing his arms like he was trying to look tough, and looking like he was almost hugging himself instead. "Your breathing's been getting shallower, your heartbeat rose, and it's winter but you're covered in sweat." He all but sneered at Scott. "You can barely stand just being in the same room as me when people's lives were on the line. No wonder you're terrified of sleeping where I can reach you."

Scott clenched his blanket in a tight fist, careful not to let his claws out at Theo's relentless psychological digging. Even years after the Dread Doctors, with months of bardo and homelessness and Peter, have done nothing to diminish Theo's ability to see right through people.

If anything, it's gotten stronger since then. Scott knew very well how good you had to be at reading people when you lived with someone you weren't sure you could trust - and Theo'd spent months living in fear, just to keep a roof over his head.

The last of the evidence was healing now.

Theo shook his head ruefully, and turned around, crouching down for his sleeping bag. "I don't know why I came down here."

"Because I'm the only other person who'd give you a place to stay," Scott answered.

Theo paused, crouched down where he was.

"Because there are only two other people as scare of Peter as you are," he continued. "And Lydia still hates you more than him."

Which only left Scott.

Theo turned around.

"And you don't?" Theo asked, looking pointedly at Scott's bare chest.

Scott's hand shot up, clamping over his smooth skin - then winced as he realized what he just did, lowering his hand.

Theo huffed, his point proven. "Unless you feel like tying me up so you can sleep, one of us has to leave, and you're the one paying rent on his place."

Scott frowned. "Where are you gonna go?"

"I still have my truck," Theo pointed out.

"...it's _winter_ ," Scott said, throwing Theo's own words from earlier right back at him.

"I'm a chimera," Theo said over his shoulder. "I can handle it."

"That's what you said last time, and look where that got you!" Scott snapped.

For a moment, both boys froze, and Scott's eyes flickered down to Theo's waist, where the wounds hid.

"...you don't have anywhere else to go," Scott pointed out.

"It's not like I can stay here, not when you're still halfway convinced I'm about to try and kill you again," Theo said, turning to gesture down Scott's body, then wincing when the sharp movement must've tugged on the edges of his wounds.

"Well what do you want me to do, drug you like Peter did so you can't move in your sleep?" Scott demanded.

He hadn't meant that in the slightest, but Theo got a speculative look in his eye.

"I'm not drugging you," Scott said immediately. "I'm not - I'm not doing that to _anybody_."

Theo's shoulders slumped. "No, but you can probably sleep if I can't move." He looked around the room. "You still got that Rowan rope from Stiles?"

Scott blinked, trying to remember. He had a study but portable box of emergency tools in the event of Hunters or _something else_ , whatever struck his friends' paranoia when they were packing the kit for Scott. Luckily, he hasn't used it so far, so-

"I think so," Scott said. He remember Stiles detailing the unusually smooth rope which turned out to have a core of rowan fibers inside. "Though if you can use mountain ash-"

Theo rolled his eyes. "It's not the mountain ash. The Rowan core is what you need to hold betas or other packless creatures, but the rope itself is pretty strong, too - it can hold omegas."

Which meant it could hold a chimera.

Scott swallowed. "I already got you out of one shitty home-"

"You said it yourself," Theo said. "You're as scared of Peter as-" He didn't even finish. He swallowed, then said, "You barely ever did anything to me even after..." He didn't finish that, either. He just sighed. "Look, if it's just you and we lock the door, I don't care if you tie me up. At least for tonight, because you're tired and I'm exhausted and we both just want to _sleep_."

Scott wished he were a stronger man. He wished he had the strength to refuse, to demand that they both go back to bed, that they both sleep like normal people.

Instead, he nodded, pulling back his blanket and swinging his legs over the edge of his bed. He took the two and a half steps across the room to his closet, pulling out the oaken case, its exterior studded with an assortment of moonstone chips and pieces of other gems with supernatural properties in a decorative-looking design, and its interior plated with silver. Rifling through a collection of tools that would've had most real Hunters drooling, Scott pulled out the smooth rope, and shut the case.

"Over your head," Scott asked, jerking his chin to the leg of his desk. "Or behind your back?"

Theo barely took a moment, before reaching down and picking up the sleeping bag, rotating it over the line of folded blankets so the head was by the desk. Over his head it was, then.

Scott spared a moment to lock the door - he and his roommates generally stayed out of each other's spaces, but they'd both still feel safer even with just a flimsy door lock between a bound Theo and everyone else. When he turned his attention back, Theo had already climbed into the sleeping bag, squirming deep into it to keep as much of his body covered as possible. Scott waited until Theo had his arms raised before coming closer.

After several of Chris' lessons - and a few unfortunate, real world applications - binding Theo to the table leg was easy work. The rope itself would keep Theo from using any weapons, and the rickety desk meant any movement would be noisy and obvious - no way he could get up and rip into Scott again while Scott was sleeping.

Once it was done, Scott rocked back to rest on his heels. "Is it-"

"It's okay," Theo said, sounding as tired as Scott felt. He gave an experimental tug on the ropes. The desk tilted slightly, pens rattling on its surface, but it didn't move and neither did Theo. "Let's just go to sleep."

Theo couldn't move his arms or his body, but he could move his head. He turned away, almost tucking his head under his arm but not quite, the action also baring most his neck. Between the streetlight from outside and the cheap lamp on Scott's bedside, the skin of Theo's neck almost glowed in the dimness of his bedroom, his jugular casting a bronze shadow over the dip of his throat and collar bone. The contrast was so enrapturing, Scott could almost reach out and grab-

"Please," Theo added softly, and Scott froze for a moment as the urge passed and he wondered _what had just come over him_.

"Sure," he answered out loud, shaking his head as he stood up.

He slipped back into bed and switched off the light. With no moon to outshine the dim streetlight, Theo was plunged back into darkness again.

Scott still kept track of Theo's heartbeat. It was calm as ever - weirdly, even calmer than before. But Scott also heard the slight creaking of wood from the desk. No matter what, Theo wouldn't be able to get out of that without Scott hearing him break free.

He hated how reassuring that way, but he fell asleep all the same.


	2. Waxing Crescent

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This got ~~more feelings~~ longer than I expected, so I split the chapter in half. This fic has five chapters, now.

Scott still hated it when he woke up the next morning, well-rested with Theo still tied up on the ground.

Waking up before his alarm, Scott turned in bed to take in Theo while the other boy was still asleep. In the gray-blue-pink light, Theo's face looked softer, his sharp edges almost blurring into the shadow cast by his arm and sleeping bag, skin almost seeming to glow on the other side of the rectangle of sunlight creeping across the carpet.

Even the ropes around his wrist looked softer, like they were a part of Theo and _belonged_ there, which was not something Scott wanted to think about.

So he didn't.

Instead, he stretched in bed, sitting up and twisting around to unpop his spine. When he turned back, Theo hadn't moved, but his eyes were open, seeming to glint in the shadows almost like he was flashing his _other_ eyes - almost, but not quite. Reflected sunlight was still no match for the supernatural brightness of shapeshifter eyes in the dark.

"Um - good morning?" Scott greeted, peeling back his blanket and swinging his legs over the side of his bed.

Theo's sleepy expression hardened into his usual smarmy facade.

"Yes, it _is_ ," he drawled, not even trying to hide the way he trailed his gaze up Scott's bare chest. "A very good morning for me."

Scott rolled his eyes as he sunk his toes into cheap, flat carpet. "You're going to have to try harder than that to make me uncomfortable in my own home."

Theo huffed, shoulders starting to move - then he stopped when he jerked the desk forward. The boy frowned as he looked up at his wrists.

Then looked back at Scott expectantly.

Schooling his expression to betray nothing of his feelings, Scott knelt down by his head and reached for the rope.

"It's a shame," Theo said, voice flat as he shifted in the loosening ropes. "I'm half naked and all tied up, and you didn't do a damn thing about it."

"I did," Scott said, his mouth forming something approaching a smirk.

But Theo froze, and seemed to go pale.

Damn it. Scott didn't know what happened for the few months Theo let Peter do "whatever the undead bastard wanted" in exchange for food and board, but this was yet another horrifying clue.

"I got a good night's sleep," he added, as fast as possible. "That's it. Promise."

Another horrifying hint came when Scott took Theo to the Dining Commons for breakfast.

"It's basically an all-you-can-eat buffet," Scott explained as they stood in line. "Any student can swipe you in. But most only do it if you pay them - usually about five to ten bucks, which is still cheaper than the Common's price for non-student entry."

"...and how much are you charging?" Theo asked warily, hunching into the Aggie sweatshirt Scott had loaned him. They were once almost the same size, yet now it almost seemed to hang off of him.

"Nothing, for now," Scott said. "Since you're...still getting back on your feet."

Theo snorted in incredulity.

But his cool facade almost vanished once they got inside, Theo age - and ate, and ate, and ate.

Shifters needed to eat a lot more than the average. Thankfully, between all the athletes at the school and the general active lifestyle UCD promoted - most of whom liked to take advantage of their meal plans for breakfast - the werewolf and the chimera didn't stand out too much, not even Theo seeming to try and eat half the food court.

He got something from every usual station - an omelette, two giant waffles with the school crest shaped hidden under piles of fruit and whipped cream, and three different bowls of cereal. He also loaded up on the day's specials - bacon, french toast, and hashbrowns, but where Scott just filled up a plate with them, Theo seemed to get a plate of each.

Scott was only just finishing up his usual breakfast - an omlette, a waffle, and a plate of the daily specials - when Theo started slowing down.

"...you know you could've ordered more last night, right?" Scott asked. "It was In-n-Out, and this is a college town. No one would've questioned a giant order."

"But I didn't have enough to _pay_ for a giant order," Theo said between bites of mixed fruit, of which he had an entire bowl, instead of the cup of it that most students got.

Scott frowned, eying Theo scarfing down all the food and the steadily growing pile of plates. While they didn't stand out _that_ much - especially with all the ROTC kids trickling in - they were still collecting enough plates to start warranting a few second looks, amused as most of those looks were.

"And how much were you eating..." How should he phrase this? "...back home?"

Theo rolled his eyes as he swallowed his current bite. "I'm not going to fall apart if you say his name."

"Fine, then," Scott said with a sigh. "If you were sleeping with Peter for food and board, what did the 'food' part actually entail?"

Theo slurped down the last, juicy dregs of fruit, and set the bowl aside to pull a bowl of milk-softened Lucky Charms in front of him.

They'd been his favorite cereal back in fourth grade...or at the very least, Scott remembered Theo being among the students who were extremely _upset_ when the cafeteria stopped serving it as part of yet another health eating initiative.

"Whatever it was he wanted to give me," Theo answered after a few bites, with a shrug that was far too casual. "Mostly just his leftovers."

Scott's frowned deepened. "If that's all...why'd you stay with him for so long?"

Theo took a particularly large bite of his cereal. Figuring that he just needed some time to think, Scott turned his attention back to his schedule for the new quarter, sipping patiently from his allegedly-french-vanilla latte.

Scott was down to the last inch of coffee drink when Theo said, "He was consistent."

At Scott's look of confusion, Theo added, "With him, I was never... I didn't have to worry about my next meal, or try to figure out where I could sleep that night, or..." Theo took another large bite of cereal. "Worry about that crap is exhausting. I may not have gotten a good meal, but I knew I would always at least have _a_ meal. I may've had to fuck him for a place to sleep, but no matter what, I _had_ a place to sleep."

Scott slowly nodded, trying to process that.

There had been times when Mom struggled to put enough food on the table - but she always managed to get them _something_ , and even those hard times were years behind them, forgotten behind her promotions and his job.

Looking again at the growing pile of plates and bowls and cups and cutlery, Scott decided to change the subject. "Let me show you where to put the dirty plates."

He stood up, balancing his own small pile of dining-ware in an act most UCD students knew without even looking. Theo looked between his own, much bigger pile, and his bowl of unfinished cereal.

"We'll come right back," Scott said. At the remaining hesitation, and seeing a few more glances their way, he added, "I wasn't _asking_."

Theo nodded, setting down his spoon and collecting most of his own plates.

As Scott led them to the revolving dish racks in the back, he added, "You can get more food. We just need to make sure the amount you're eating isn't _too_ obvious."

Theo's shoulders relaxed as they deposited their dirty dishes. Scott went straight back to his seat, while Theo made a beeline for the egg station and got poached eggs, and then to the bread tower to get toast.

Scott entertained himself on his phone, sending his parents and his pack all the check-in texts they'd asked for - no one trusted Theo alone with Scott, even after all these years. He didn't mention how or _why_ he'd been able to sleep under the same roof as Theo, and thankfully, no one asked. By the time Theo seemed finished eating, the Commons were about to close for lunch prep and Scott's first class was coming up.

Students sneaking out food was pretty typical, and Scott usually took a cookie or two for a midday snack. Today, he also snagged a banana with his usual sneak out - and outside, he handed them all to Theo.

"Take it," he said, when Theo hesitated. "You're going to need it more than I do."

With a smirk, Theo pulled out his hands from his sweatshirt pocket to reveal two cookies of his own, and an orange.

"I'm good."

Scott face-palmed with his free hand. Still holding out the food with the other hand, he looked back up and said, "Take it, anyway."

With a shrug that wasn't even half as nonchalant as Theo wanted it to be, he obliged.

"Will you be okay for the rest of the day?" Scott asked, approaching the bike lot where he'd left his bicycle.

Theo rolled his eyes as Scott reached for the bike chain. "I get that you're still scared of Peter and all, but that doesn't mean you need to treat me like a fragile infant just because he stabbed me a little more than usual."

"I'm not-"

" _I'm_ not your damsel in distress," Theo snapped. "I appreciate the help, and I like being away from him - but I don't actually _need_ a knight in shining armor. I'm fine."

"Oh yeah?" Scott challenged, undoing the combination lock on the bike chain without looking. "Can you do a single pull up?" He pointed up to the overhang above them, the extension of the roof a meager five feet above them. "If you jumped, could you even _reach_ the ledge, let alone hold on?"

Theo scowled, gesturing at all the students stumbling their way to their own bikes and pedaling off to class. "Most of them can't, why would I need to?"

Scott sighed, turning away from Theo and pulling the chain out from the spokes of the bike. "Just because I think you need help, doesn't mean I think you're helpless."

The chimera clenched his fists - and then relaxed them. His body had vibrated with tension, and even if the wounds were closed when Scott checked them this morning, that didn't mean they were completely healed. Tension could still pull at them.

"Do you have any plans for the day?" Scott tried, as he looped and re-locked the chain around the frame of his bike.

Theo clenched his jaw and nodded. "I'll look for a job."

Scott opened his mouth-

"A _real_ job, this time," Theo added. Scott shut his mouth, and Theo rolled his eyes. "It's not like there's much of a market for hookers in a college town, anyway."

Scott flinched, and Theo laughed - a sound far too sharp and broken for the sunny, winter morning.

"I'm starting to think you need to get over me being hurt even more than I do," he snarled. "This isn't the first time I let someone else use my body for their purposes in exchange for something. And this didn't hurt nearly as bad as _last_ time."

At the sly reminder of the Dread Doctors, Scott took a deep breath, then another, and swung his leg over the leather seat as he backed out of the bike rack.

Scott wasn't sure what to even say to that, so instead he said, "I'll be home by six. If you won't be, text me."

Theo nodded. With a jaunty wave, he turned and walked towards the campus exit; with a sigh, Scott started biking in the opposite direction, heading to his first class of the week.

~*~

Scott didn't hear from Theo for the rest for the rest of the day. For a solid eight hours, he had no clue where his former attempted murderer was, or what he was actually doing.

He hated how much it put him on edge, but not enough to actually call or text Theo to check up on him or ask him about his day. He wasn't going to feed his fear.

Scott was just giving the other boy a place to stay until he could stand on his own again. That's all. As soon as Theo got a job and could find somewhere else to live, he was out of Scott's home, and barring some distant monitoring, could be out of Scott's life altogether.

Reminding himself of that did nothing to lessen the relief he felt when he walked into his apartment in the evening to see Theo in the living room, sorting through a small pile of paperwork.

"Your roommate let me in," Theo said, pointing his chin to where Dipti - a junior anthropology major who always took out the trash on time but never remembered to do the dishes - was sorting through a pile of notecards at the kitchen table.

"Thanks," Scott said.

"No problem!" she said cheerfully, not looking up from her latest academic crisis. "And he has good news!"

Scott raised an eyebrow, watching Theo, who just rolled his eyes again.

"Nothing concrete," Theo said, holding up some of the papers he was working on. "These are just job applications, not offers. But two managers seem eager to have me."

In one day?

"You charmed them that fast?" Scott asked, before his brain filter could kick in.

Damnit.

Theo smirked at him. "And to think, I wasn't even trying."

Behind Scott, Dipti snorted.

"More likely his availability charmed them." He looked over to her, and she actually looked up. "They hate having to deal with students. Young adult who is an aspiring resident and isn't a student? No weird schedules they have to work around and no concessions to the school calendar? Of course they want him."

Theo laughed, a light and hearty sound perfectly modulated to make everyone else around him want to join in the joke.

Even Scott wanted to, despite knowing how little he could trust anything Theo said or did.

"I'm going to make dinner," he said, instead of confronting his feelings.

Hearts were stupid, anyway.

Theo raised an eyebrow. "No cafeteria buffet thing?"

Scott shrugged, inching towards his bedroom door. "Too expensive to _rely_ on the Dining Commons for all three meals, all day." He looked over to his one roommate to ask about the other three: "You know if Cadie or Ty or Crystal are coming home tonight?"

"Cay yes, Ty no, Crys no idea," Dipti answered, sorting through her notes and not seeming to notice the highlighter streaking across her cheek towards her ear.

Scott made a giant pot of spaghetti, anyway, enough for half a dozen people. Cadie and Ty had already met Theo the night before, as Scott's hometown friend who "is going through a bit of a rough time right now and is crashing with me for a few weeks". He'd texted Crystal about it, too, so she wasn't surprised to see Theo when she finally did come home, that night. All of Scott's housemates officially knew Theo.

Predictably, Thee had them all charmed and cheerful by the end of the night, and compounded his favor with them by asking what chores they all hated most for him to pick up, "Since I can't help pay rent while I'm here." If any of the others had any reservations about a temporary house-guest, they were gone under the promises of trash and recycling taken out, dishes washed, and Crystal not having to do her own laundry anymore.

"I'm surprised you had to ask them," Scott said, later that night, once they retired to his room. Out of the three bedrooms in the apartment, Scott was the only one who'd had a room to himself, so he'd taken the smallest room.

With Theo here, now, it felt almost claustrophobic.

"Asking them is part of the charm," Theo said, shrugging out of Scott's sweatshirt and his own ratty clothing. He didn't even think to warn Scott, who only barely turned away when Theo pulled down his jeans to slip into sweatpants and a shirt for the night. He looked as far away as he could without actually turning his back on Theo. "Makes people feel listened to, their input valued."

 _Trained manipulator,_ Scott reminded himself, gathering his own sleep clothes to go change in the bathroom. _Maybe more than Peter, even._

That didn't help much.

Theo holding up the rope when Scott came back into the room, though, did.

(Not enough, though. Scott had tied Theo down for the night and double-checked the rope, making sure Theo was as comfortable can be, before he slipped into his own bed.

He still dreamed of Theo ripping his heart out in their high school library, and his only consolation was that Theo didn’t ask a word about his sleep the next morning.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Incidentally, I am 5'0" and literally 100lbs soaking wet, and not that athletic, but when I had a meal plan at UC Davis, [this was my typical breakfast](https://imgur.com/a/SaKgy). That should give you context for how much average students ate, and thus how much Theo would've had to eat in order to stand out. :P


	3. First Quarter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm trying this new thing, lately, of tossing my story structure/chapter outline out the window and kinda just updating as I finish things without waiting. Lemme know how this goes.

By the next morning, the bandages came off, and Theo's waist looked good as new.

"Like it never even happened," Theo snarked from where he was perched on the edge of Scott's bed. In front of him, Scott pulled off the last of the bandage from Theo's bare midsection.

Scott frowned. "It did, though," he said. "Just because you healed-"

"I said _like_ it never happened," Theo said, rolling his eyes. "Not that it actually never happened."

Scott swallowed.

"Let's go through some stretches," Scott said, moving on and setting aside the bandages. "Check your range of motion, then go get breakfast." Theo opened his mouth. "Yes, at the Commons."

Theo smiled, a soft expression that belied the eagerness hidden in his eyes. "Awesome."

The eagerness faded, though, as Scott helped him stretch out — first just by getting him to sit up straight and hold it for a solid minute, then by lifting up his arms incrementally.

Holding his arms out in front of him, Theo was able to lift them up to almost-shoulder height on his own — but there, he stalled out. Scott supported Theo’s forearms with one of his own, and slowly pushed up, Theo clenching his chiseled jaw and chest heaving as he strained.

Theo hissed, and Scott stopped.

"No," the chimera said. "Keep going."

"Theo-"

"I can take it!" Theo snapped.

Instead of rolling his eyes, Scott twisted up up his arm — not much, but enough that Theo yelled out in pain, a light sound the trailed off into a whine.

Scott let go, and Theo wrapped his arms around himself, hunching forward with his head dipped low, baring this throat as he groaned so nicely-

"You really think so?" Scott asked, instead of continuing down that train of thought.

Looking up with a scowl, Theo demanded, "What's your point?"

"This isn't a test- Well, okay, it is. But not to like test your worth or evaluate you," Scott said. "It's just to see how well you are or aren't recovering. That's all."

Theo swallowed.

"And then what?"

Scott deserved a reward for not rolling his eyes at Theo's paranoia. He'd settle for extra whipped cream on his waffle at breakfast.

"And then I figure out what you can do to get better, like stretches to help you build your abdominal muscle back up."

"Any suggestions so far?" Theo asked, voice still sharp and a little hoarse.

Scott wondered if he realized that he'd hugged himself a little tighter.

Theo was definitely stalling, probably waiting for the pain to pass.

It was a little petty and a lot mean — and possibly bordering on cruel — but instead of answering, Scott reached out and put a hand on each of Theo's shoulders, and slowly pushed them back up until Theo sat up straight, with another long, low groan.

"Sit up straight, to start with, and _stay_ that way," Scott ordered. "And we'll slowly get you leaning back more and more."

Gritting his teeth, Theo nodded.

"Now..." Scott wrapped a hand around Theo's forearm. "Let's try again."

~*~

Scott got chocolate chip waffles with extra whipped cream, and pretended not to notice Theo watching him eat it.


	4. Waxing Gibbous Moon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Today's my birthday, so as part of my annual birthday posting bonanza, here's an update! ♥

Even in winter, Saturday morning saw dozens joggers in the Arboretum. The serene water in the creek flickered as it rippled under leaf-filtered sunlight, the air was fresh with only the scents of morning people and forest, and Scott was having the nicest morning since this Winter Quarter started.

Theo wasn’t, but that wasn’t really the point.

“I’m starting…to think…that the buffet thing…isn’t worth this…” Theo ground out as he jogged.

“You need to rebuild your core muscles,” Scott insisted, jogging mostly by motion rather than action. He could probably power-walk this pace, but they weren’t out here for Scott. “Besides, Saturday is brunch, the Dining Commons is gonna be open for almost twice as long as usual.”

Theo just snarled as he kept going. Scott fought the urge to point out just how much his borrowed work-out jersey was soaked in sweat from less than two miles of idle jogging.

“C’mon,” Scott promised. “Halfway point is just a few hundred yards away, and we’ll walk back from there.”

“I _hate_ you,” Theo grumbled, even as he focused on the bridge over the creek. “That’s it, right?”

“That’s it,” Scott agreed, and pretended to be surprised when Theo rocketed toward it.

He let Theo stay a step or two ahead, which had _nothing_ to do with how his ass looked in Scott’s sweatpants, and smiled when Theo came to a halt in the middle of the bridge, leaning against the little railing and panting as he hung his head over the edge.

“You’re doing great,” Scott said, clapping an encouraging hand on Theo’s shoulder. “That’s it for today. We can walk back, shower, and get to the DC just in time for brunch.”

Theo snorted, but was still too out of breath to answer.

Scott frowned. Even with Theo still healing from all that damage, most of it was to his abdomen, not his chest. The Doctors had cured him of his asthma, and he shouldn’t be having this much trouble breathing.

“Theo?” Scott asked. “You okay?”

Theo didn’t answer, didn’t even seem to hear Scott.

He was focused on the creek, on the muddy edge, as if seeing something there.

As if seeing his sister dying in front of him again.

Scott swore as realization hit him like a rampaging beast, and shook Theo’s shoulder. He was still lost in his memory, so Scott grabbed his wrist and pulled him away, the chimera following mindlessly.

The way back was a little quieter, since the hardass morning athletes were already done with the run back, and the relaxed morning athletes would be a while longer before they walked back. He swung Theo’s arm over his shoulders, wrapping a supportive arm around Theo’s hips to push him forward.

It took almost half a mile of walking before Theo seemed to snap out of it.

Theo’s cooling sweat was still tinged with grief and terror, but he was looking around again and his feet stopped dragging on the ground.

“Hey,” Scott tried again. “You with me?”

Theo answered by pulling away. Scott’s side felt cold where he’d been pressed up against Theo, but he let go anyway.

“I’m _fine_!” Theo spat.

“Uh-huh,” Scott agreed, ignoring Theo’s scowl as they kept walking. “Your sister?”

Theo started walking faster.

Scott let him.

~*~

They returned to an empty apartment, which Scott was grateful for.

“Take the first shower,” Scott said, pausing with Theo by the bathroom. His old work-out jersey clung to the panes of Theo’s chest, and as nice as the view was, Theo needed to get clean and wash away the bad memory Scott had accidentally just inflicted on him. “You need it more than I do.”

“ _Thanks_ ,” Theo muttered.

Scott sighed. “You’ll get there,” he promised. “You just need to…”

His suggestion trailed off as Theo stripped off the jersey. Even after half an hour of cool-down walking, his skin still shone in the mid-morning sunlight coming in from the living room.

“I just need to what?” Theo asked, his blank expression finally breaking when his lip curled slightly upward in amusement as he caught Scott staring.

Scott focused on his eyes. “Just keep at it,” Scott said. “You were starved and severely injured. Even we just take a little time to heal-”

“‘We’?” Theo asked, packing enough disdain into a single raised eyebrow that Lydia would’ve been proud — if she didn’t find a comparison to _Theo_ insulting.

Hanging his head in exasperation, Scott said, “We gotta head out in half an hour if we want to get there before opening, so don’t take up too much time.”

He turned to start walking away, only for a hand in the crook of his elbow to stop him.

“There’s a way we can do this faster,” Theo said. “Give us plenty of time to get to the buffet thing.”

Scott spared a moment to wonder if he would ever get Theo to stop calling the Dining Commons ‘the buffet thing’, before frowning as he was tugged into the bathroom.

“Let’s shower together,” Theo said, flicking on the light and vent, and tossing his jersey over the edge of the shower door.

Swallowing, Scott took in his shining skin, his lascivious smirk — and the slightly manic glint in his eyes.

“No,” Scott said. “I told you, you don’t have to — to _do_ anything, to stay here, like you did with Peter.”

The sly flickered fell at the name.

But, Theo kept at it, saying, “Are you really gonna try to tell me that you _weren’t_ just checking out my ass for half the morning? Why else would you stay behind me the whole time?”

“So I can keep an eye on you,” Scott responded, wondering how the hell Theo could’ve possibly seen Scott’s unintentional ogling from in front of him. At Theo’s disbelief, Scott added, “For your _health_ , in case you needed a break or something.”

For some reason, that just seemed to encourage Theo. Leaning back against the bathroom wall, Theo draping his hand over Scott’s hip, fingertips slipping under the hem of Scott’s jersey.

Scott clenched his fists.

"Scott," Theo goaded. "You sure you don't want-"

Snapping his hand out, Scott grabbed at Theo's wrist, his other hand pressing against Theo's other shoulder. Scott used his whole body to press Theo into the cheap, plaster wall, keeping him in place.

For a moment, Scott didn't even need to listen Theo's heartbeat rise, because he could feel it in his chest where it was pressed up right against Theo's chest, his own heart just a few inches away from Theo's- from Tara's heart.

"Of course I _want_ to," Scott said, not bothering to keep the growl out of his voice. "But I have spent every night since I was Bitten by Peter doing my best not to become just like him — and I'm not going to give up now, especially not for you."

Theo swallowed, breath hitching in…nervousness?

Or fear?

Scott realized what he'd done, what he was doing right now.

Flushing, he took a step back, and looked down at his feet. "S-sorry-"

"Hey, no worries," Theo said, not peeling himself off the wall. With shining eyes, he added, "I can take it rough." His grin sharpened, into something predatory. "Most of the time, I'm a big fan of it."

"...but not all the time," Scott pointed out, gesturing to where the worst of the wounds had been, the ones that'd brought Theo here in the first place. "I've been trying so hard not to be Peter," he mumbled. "And I keep doing it anyway."

Theo scowled. "How about instead of just trying not to be someone, you be your own damn person?"

Scott froze.

If Theo noticed, he didn't care, yanking his jersey off the shower door.

Twisting it up and hanging it over his shoulders, Theo slipped around Scott, their bodies unnecessarily close, but still not touching.

"You can have the first shower," he snarled, and fled to Scott's room.

For a moment, Scott just stared out the bathroom door after him, before easing the door shut. Switching on the bathroom fan, stripping off his sweaty clothes, and plunging into lukewarm water, Scott kept turning over Theo's words in his head.

"...I don't know how," he mumbled softly to himself.

His soft words were lost in the spray, swirling around his feet and disappearing down the drain with the murky water.


End file.
